The Digital Tools You Need

Featured Book Review

I recently read through the book 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More by Perry Marshall, and I really enjoyed the challenge that the book presented in terms of thinking through your daily activities with a more critical eye.
Perhaps my favorite section of the book was a Marketing DNA test that Marshall offers online. If you're considering taking the test, be sure to buy the book. It's more affordable that way ($15 compared to $37 as of this writing), … [Read more...]

As a communicator, you need a place to test your ideas. You need your own lab to run your mad scientist experiments.
This is different than writing and delivering fully formed ideas into the wild. In this case, I'm talking about when you want to try some sort of ingenious (hopefully!) connection using IFTTT, or some other form of API connection. Or when you want to try a new tracking software. Or a new method of measuring engagement.
For me, whenever I propose a new method of either … [Read more...]

After reading Demian Farnsworth's post The Awesome Benefits of Publishing Often the other day, it really hit home how much of communicating is about the courage to be able to say what's needed.
One of the main reasons I first started playing around with Google Analytics a few years back is that the tools so clearly demonstrate what has already worked. So much of communication starts with a hunch of what might work, and we can take those ideas through a variety of tests to see how well we can … [Read more...]

Great musicians and public speakers can incorporate audience feedback on the fly to help shape their performance. For publishers and bloggers, the process looks rather different.
Gathering feedback happens in a few ways: by providing an avenue for someone to share opinions, by actively asking for feedback, and by going out to find feedback that's already been shared with a different audience.
Provide Ways to Give Feedback
In many cases, your audience wants to communicate with you. Make … [Read more...]

Communication theory is a foundational explanation of how we convey meaning. In today's hyperconnected world, the theory is more important than ever.
In the day job, I spend a lot of time helping clients decide on the overall strategy of what they want to accomplish with their websites before we dig into the specific tactics of how we can help. One of the key models that I always keep in mind when working on strategy is the communication theory.
In this post, we'll take a look at the … [Read more...]

How much time do you lose online daily from not having a good way to keep up with all the interesting articles you see or sites you want to check out? All too often, my impulse is to click through and learn more so that I don't lose the information. I might have followed social media to get to the article in the first place, so how will I ever find my way back (especially for someone who uses multiple browsers and devices)?
I use Evernote extensively as a way to manage my information, but I'm … [Read more...]

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.
-- Stephen King
No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.
-- Confucius
The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
-- Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
People come up with ideas for their craft through a number of different ways. Some use story prompts, some … [Read more...]

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About Michael

As a book junkie, Michael looks for any reason he can to share what he's learning. This website is the result. Say hello here on the site, or drop by if you're ever in the city of New Orleans. Read More…